What is Hospice Care?

Hospice is a medically directed supportive service for patients with a life limiting illness and their families. The goal is to provide a continuation of care, which offers patients choices for enhancing the opportunities for completing their lives with dignity, purpose and peace. Focusing on home care, the Hospice staff works with both patients and family members to solve the problems associated with life limiting illness.

Hospice services become an important part of today’s health care system. The Hospice alternative ensures support for patients and families that is medically comprehensive but still supports their emotional and spiritual needs. SOMC Hospice offers a team of nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, therapists, and volunteers who will work to provide quality of life in an intensively personal way. When the hope for cure is no longer realistic, Hospice seeks to discover ways to add quality and life to the remaining days.

What is the focus of hospice care?

SOMC Hospice focuses on symptom control and decreasing the suffering experienced by dying patients and their families. Care is focused on decreasing the discomfort.

Hospice advocates the use of state of the art medical intervention to promote quality of life. Certain aggressive therapeutic treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation are believed inconsistent with hospice philosophy. However, interventions to promote comfort will be provided.

SOMC Hospice supports the patient/family freedom of choice to revoke their hospice choice and choose aggressive intervention.

Hospice is a health care alternative for those desiring to remain in a home like environment.

How is a referral to Hospice made?

Referrals to SOMC Hospice may be initiated by anyone, including the patient, family or friends. A phone call to the Hospice office begins the process. A registered nurse will talk with the physician, patient and family to determine the appropriateness of hospice care.